The novel is set in Chandrapore, a hot, dry, nondescript city on the
banks of the Ganges. The impression one gets of the place is of
vast emptiness, divided between the English and the Indians. The
Indian settlement is brown, ugly, and dry, while the British
settlement is palatial and garden-like. Little interaction is seen
between the two groups.

Chandrapore is a dull town. It is only the existence of the Marabar
Caves, twenty miles away, that gives the town any distinction. The
only break in the monotonous landscape surrounding Chandrapore
is the rise of the Marabar Hills.

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Notes

Forster starts the novel on a subdued note. In the opening chapter,
he points out the difference in appearance between the British and
Indian sections of Chandrapore, hinting at an underlying conflict;
but he intentionally does not indicate the racial tension (the great
cultural divide) between the two groups. Neither does he mention
the utter lack of statesmanship and administrative ability of the
British ruling class. The main purpose of the first chapter seems to
be the description of the stark Indian setting and the air of
mysticism that will drive the plot. Although houses are falling
apart and people are drowned, some form of indestructible life
continues to breathe and move in this desolate township.

Forster's description of the sky is poetic and symbolic; he imbues it
with divine powers, implying that it controls the seasons and the
climate. He also foreshadows that the two disparate parts of town
cannot peacefully co-exist under this sky; the only thing they share
in common is the earth below and the sky above.